


Simon Says Be My Friend

by plumeria47



Category: Love Simon (2018)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, M/M, Mild Language, Yuletide 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 12:06:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17043416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeria47/pseuds/plumeria47
Summary: Starting over at a new school sucks, until Abby makes friends with Simon.  Follows the events of the movie from Abby's POV.





	Simon Says Be My Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gray Shadows (the_afterlight)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_afterlight/gifts).



> For [Gray Shadows (the_afterlight)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_afterlight/pseuds/Gray%20Shadows), who requested Abby/Simon friendship from "Love Simon." I have incorporated a little bit from the book but mostly tried to stick to the movie canon. Hope you like it - happy Yuletide!
> 
> The dialogue in Simon's coming Out scene is taken directly from the movie and does not belong to me. 
> 
> Many thanks to [hamster woman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamsterwoman/pseuds/hamsterwoman) for beta-reading. <3 All remaining mistakes are my own.

So, it's the first day of school, and Abby is trying hard to be upbeat despite getting lost three times already, and it's not even noon. She's been on the cheerleading squad since mid-July, but they always practice in the gym or outside, not in, say, the math and science wing. Which is where she's headed right now, after making a wrong turn and somehow ending up again in the English hall she left back in first period. Being new sucks. Being new as a senior – when everyone else has already established their routines and their friendships (at least the freshmen can justify stumbling around in confusion on the first day, the little pipsqueaks) – sucks even worse.

Man, does she hate her father right now. If he'd been able to keep it in his pants, and maybe drink less, she'd still be safely back at Woodrow Wilson in DC, and making plans to get together with her cousins Cassie and Molly later. But no sense crying over that anymore, ugh. She's at Creekwood now, so she might as well get the hang of it.

To her relief, Room 612 finally materializes on her left, and she yanks open the door, prepared to flop down in whatever seat might still be available seventeen seconds before the bell rings. Sure enough, there's only two empty seats left, and a whole bunch of Calc students staring at her as she walks in. Some of these faces look vaguely familiar, which makes sense – a lot of the honors kids shared the same classes at her old school, too. 

A cute white boy with brown hair catches her eye. She's had him for at least one class already, but right now she can't remember which one. "Hey – Abby, right?" he calls out.

She nods, feeling suddenly shy. 

"Saved you a seat." He points to the empty desk next to his.

Abby collapses into it, gratefully. "And how did you magically know I was going to be in this class?" she asks, pulling open her backpack to fish out her red Calc notebook and a pencil. 

The boy grins sheepishly. "I didn't. But it sounded good, didn't it?"

"Wait," Abby says, frowning. "You're not just being a dick, are you?" She gets ready to switch to the other empty seat, and fuck all the people who are looking at the New Girl.

He holds up his hands placatingly. "No, really. I actually want you to sit there. You seem nice – well, when you aren't threatening to maim me with that–" he adds, pointing.

Abby realizes she's gripping her pencil in her fist, poised to stab. She puts it down hurriedly.

"–and you looked like you needed a place to sit. And you're new and that probably freakin' sucks, so I figured you could use a friendly face." He beams in an exaggerated manner, and Abby laughs.

"Thanks, that was really sweet," she says, trying to place where she's seen him already. "You were in my … English class, I think? First period?"

"Yeah." He leans over, offering his hand. "I'm Simon."

The teacher is standing in front of the room, ready to take roll, but Abby quickly leans across and gives his hand one exaggerated shake. "Nice to meet you, Simon," she whispers before turning her attention to the front.

\\_ _/

Abby drops her lunch bag onto the table and deposits herself in the corresponding seat. Simon detoured to the bathroom on the way to lunch, and Nick, Garrett and Bram haven't shown up yet. Nick has Calc with her and Simon, but he always waits for the other two boys to come out of their AP US History class before heading over. It's only a month into the school year so far, but already Abby feels more settled than she could have possibly dreamed on the first day. And, really, she has Simon to thank for a lot of that. Being on the cheerleading squad opens a lot of doors, and she met some potentially interesting people at last week's _Cabaret_ auditions, but having a cool group to sit with at lunch makes a huge difference. Simon is the one who scooped her up after Calc that first day and, after finding out she didn't have lunch plans, insisted that she join his group. So she'd allowed herself to be shepherded down to the caf – which meant she did _not_ get lost – and then to the table that Simon's group apparently had staked out since freshman year. There were already too many people to fit comfortably, and adding Abby only made that snugger, but nobody complained, and she's been essentially absorbed into the collective.

Only Leah seems to have an on/off issue with Abby – she is never outright rude, but she's not always been the warmest, either. Abby has no idea why, especially as she thinks she and Leah might actually have a reasonable amount in common – a similar snarky sense of humor, for starters – but she tries not to let it get her down. One of the other cheerleaders told Abby at practice that Leah's probably just jealous because Abby is prettier and skinnier, but a) that kind of thinking makes Abby really uncomfortable b) this is hardly Abby's fault and c) actually, Leah is pretty just as she is, with her long brown hair and beautiful eyes and, yes, her curves. Maybe it's a black girl thing, or maybe it's because her cousin Molly is also a curvy girl – and also really pretty – but Abby has never been one to equate "beautiful" with "stick figure." She'd also wasted no time busting the other cheerleader's ass for fat-shaming Leah. Whether Leah is friendly to Abby or not, she doesn't deserve that kind of shitty attitude. No one does.

Simon arrives, flops into his usual seat and pulls his lunch out of his bag just as the soccer boys show up, and their table is instantly the noisy, jostling hubbub it usually turns into.

Abby chews fretfully on a carrot stick as she listens to Leah and Nick debate the musical merits of the latest hit song. "Why isn't it Friday yet?" she murmurs at Simon.

Simon rolls his eyes and shoves sideways at her with his shoulder. "Relax, will you? I'm sure you got a great part." 

"But there aren't that many female roles and a LOT of girls tried out." 

He shrugs. "They'll probably put some girls into boys' roles – they've done that in the past." Abby must make a horrified expression without realizing it, because he hastily adds, "But I'm sure you'll get a role for one of the girls' parts." 

Because, yeah, to be honest, Abby's not that keen on taking one of the boys' roles. She wants Sally – well, they all probably do – although Fraulein Schneider wouldn't be too bad. After that, the female roles drop dramatically into the "minor" range. She knows. logically, that any role is better than no role, and she's competing against Taylor Metternich and several other girls who seemed to have really amazing voices, but still, the idea of hiding under a man's costume is just ... not appealing.

"I hate waiting," she grumbles. 

Simon reaches over and steals a carrot. "You want to check out the cast list together on Friday?" 

"Yes, please," she says in relief. That way she'll either have someone to celebrate with, or a handy shoulder to cry on. 

"I believe the proper response is, 'It couldn't please me more,'" Simon says, quoting one of _Cabaret_ 's song titles. Abby can tell he's trying hard not to crack up at his own wit.

"Shut. Up." She elbows him.

"Maybe this time," he says, quoting another song title and, that's it, Abby may just have to strangle him with the straps of her backpack. Really, there's only one punishment strong enough that she can think of right now.

She steals one of his Oreos.

\\_ _/

Bram's Halloween party is a blast. Abby really and truly feels part of the crowd now, walking through a house full of people and recognizing just about everyone – and having just about everyone recognize her, although she supposes that's less impressive, as it's a lot easier to keep track of just one new person. Simon and Leah look awesome in their joint Lennon & Ono costumes, Nick's soccer costume is both lame and adorable, and Bram just owns his post-White House Obama getup. He and Simon even sound surprisingly good together during their joint karaoke performance, which must mean Bram – who is always so quiet – must actually have a good singing voice, because when Simon later tries to sing on his own, it's nowhere near as good. But Abby claps for him anyway, A for Effort. Martin is kind of annoying with his inability to stay on the same conversational topic as everyone else, and he clearly has no idea what he's doing during Beirut. Abby isn't _super_ competitive, but it would still have been more fun with a competent partner. Since Simon is the one who invited Martin along, she kind of thinks _he_ should have offered to partner him for Beirut, but, whatever. Otherwise, she has a lot of fun.

Simon seems kind of distracted at one point, though, as he watches Bram sing another karaoke duet, this time with Taylor Metternich. Abby curls into his side on the sofa and murmurs, "Thank you, by the way," as a way of trying to get his head out of whatever he's stressing over.

He glances down at her. "For what?"

"For making me part of this," she says, as Taylor adds in some unnecessarily dramatic gestures to the song.

"What do you mean?"

"You're the one who rescued my sad, pathetic ass on the first day, remember?" she says. "You dragged me down to your lunch table and introduced me to all your adorably geeky friends, and now here I am, living the good life at Bram's party."

"I'm pretty sure you would have ended up here anyway," he responds with a smile. "You're always so friendly with everyone."

"I dunno," she says, shrugging a little. "Maybe I would have ended up at someone else's party, but not necessarily this one, and _this_ " – she grins and makes a sweeping gesture with one hand – "is clearly where it's at. Besides," she adds more seriously, so quietly she's not sure Simon can even hear her over the karaoke music, "I was having a really hard time starting over at first. You made it a lot easier."

But clearly Simon has supersonic hearing or something, because he wraps an arm around her shoulder and gives her a gentle squeeze. She looks up at his face and sees that he seems more at peace, and a little less distracted. Mission accomplished.

\\_ _/

Abby thinks about the whole exchange as Simon drives her home. _I deserve a goddamn superhero!_ Maybe she really does. Or, better yet, maybe she should be her _own_ superhero, Wonder Woman come to life. That moment in the restaurant was horribly embarrassing, but kind of empowering, too. Nerdy, awkward Martin has frequently annoyed the crap out of her, but he's actually kind of growing on her now, and she says as much to Simon.

"I've been meaning to ask about your parents," he says, sounding apologetic, like he's been a bad friend for not prying. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk about it." But far from being mad, she kind of loves him even _more_ for that, for respecting her space.

"I don't like to talk about it because it kind of messes with my image," she says, trying to make light of it. A little.

"Image?" Oblivious Simon strikes again.

"The girl who was excited for senior year," she says, trying to explain. "Whose life didn't end three months ago and is angry and sad all the time. The girl who still believes in love." Wow, way to own up to her feelings there. She's not sure she's admitted them to anyone before.

"C'mon," Simon coaxes. "You still believe in love."

Abby isn't sure. "Maybe," she hedges. She did when she was younger, when she thought her parents would last forever. Until she was old enough to notice the drinking. Until her dad ran off with a much younger woman. _Did he ever actually love Mom?_ she wonders. _What makes someone fall_ out _of love_? 

"Have you ever been in love?" she asks Simon. Maybe if she had a real-life example among her friends, she might start to believe in it again.

He takes a moment to answer, like he's giving it consideration. "I think so," he says quietly. Then, without warning, he pulls over to the curb.

Abby's heart starts pounding. Simon is looking awkward, shooting her nervous little glances but mostly staring out the windshield, and she has a terrible suspicion as to what he's about to say. _I love_ YOU, _Abby._ And she can't handle that. She's already getting weird vibes from Martin, and, much as she loves Simon, she definitely doesn't like (or love) him _that_ way. 

She watches nervously as Simon seems to wrestle with himself for a moment more before he blurts out, "I'm gay." He flashes her a glance, clearly gauging her reaction.

Well. So much for her worries. 

"Oh." It's lame but it's all she can think to say in the moment. 

"You can't tell anyone, though," Simon says, hurriedly. "Nobody really knows, and I don't want them to find out."

Abby shakes her head, smiling her assurances. "I won't. I promise." 

Simon returns his gaze to the windshield in front of him. "Are you surprised?"

Abby doesn't even think about it: "No." And she's not, really. It's not like she suspected it, and thirty seconds ago she had been worried he was about to declare love for _her_ , but when she really thinks about it, it _doesn't_ surprise her. It ... suits him. She's not even sure what that means, really, especially as she's only known him for a few months; she just knows that being gay suits him more than picturing him with any girl ever could.

But Simon can't see into her head. "So, you knew?" he asks, turning to look at her again, brow furrowing.

Well, no, she didn't, and she says as much.

"But you're not surprised?"

Abby shifts uncomfortably. "Do you want me to be surprised?" She wants so, so much to do this conversation right, this momentously personal thing that Simon has told her. 

But he just shakes his head a little, murmuring, "I don't know." 

In other words, neither of them know what the hell they should do now. Abby almost laughs at the awkwardness, but she doesn't want Simon to think she's laughing at _him_. Instead, she makes it clear that she loves him no matter what, and lets it drop. Simon says he loves her, too, which is now _exactly_ the kind of love she wants from him, then he pulls his car back onto the road and takes her home without another word, except a quiet "'Night" when she gets out.

Abby goes up to her room and flops back on her bed. The hugeness of what Simon has trusted her with makes her feel like her heart might explode. In a good way, though. Just ... that he told her, this thing that "nobody knows" – which she's assuming means probably not even his family or Nick or Leah know – and she doesn't think she could love him any more than she does right now. This adorable white boy who friended her – literally, and not just in the fake social media way – when she needed someone the most, and became quiet, steadfast support whenever she needed a confidence boost or an ear, without ever making her feel uncomfortable, and now she gets to return the favor. How many people can say that they've been entrusted with something so huge? She knows that, in reality, it shouldn't be a big deal – certainly, back in DC, hardly anyone would blink at such an announcement (her cousin Cassie is Out and hasn't complained once of anyone giving her a hard time, although, granted, she lives in a more boho part of town). But she knows Georgia is different, and she also would never dream of deciding for someone else what is or isn't a big deal, especially for something so central to their identity. I mean, what if someone decided that being black shouldn't be important to her, just because her skin is a little bit lighter than some of the other African-American kids, and it's supposed to be an era of racial equality or some other bullshit? 

And, actually ... Abby kind of does get that it's a big deal for Simon to come Out to anyone here in Georgia. There's a small voice inside her head that wonders if she should have told him one of her own secrets: that she sometimes, just occasionally, really, she finds herself attracted to ... nah. Besides, any kind of "me too" comment would probably be misleading, not to mention the worst kind of stealing Simon's thunder.

What kind of goddamn superhero would she be if she did that?

\\_ _/

On the other hand, now that she knows Simon's big secret, she's kind of loving getting to tease him a little. She points out just how fine a football player's ass looks in his tight uniform pants, but it takes a little encouragement before Simon makes a half-hearted attempt to imitate her _"fiiiiiine"_. Eh, she'll work on that. But she doesn't miss how Simon's eyes light up a little when he spots Lyle by the coffee truck. It's a little surprising, but she does remember how they were kind of chatty at WaHo the other night. It's actually pretty adorable. She leaves him to flirt with Lyle while she gets some coffee, and although Simon kind of shakes his head at her when he joins her, Nick and Leah on the bleachers later, he doesn't seem too upset. That's good. She'd hate to have to kick Lyle's ass or, worse, find another WaHo for them to hang out in. 

But all thoughts of Simon and potential dalliances are wiped from her thoughts as Martin interrupts the National Anthem – _the National Anthem, for god's sake_ – and begins to proclaim his love for her in front of the entire damn school. As embarrassed as Abby had been at WaHo, when Martin stood on his seat and shouted to the entire restaurant about superheroes, that is _nothing_ compared to how she feels now. All eyes are on her. _Allll_ eyes. And it's not remotely like being on stage. At least then she _wants_ them to be entertained by her. Now, though, she wants a hole to swallow her up.

What or who made Martin think she was even remotely into him? Because whatever and whoever it is, she's going to kill them.

\\_ _/

Abby drives home somewhere around 1am on New Year's Eve – well, technically New Year's Day – with two completely different emotions warring within her. On the one hand: Nick! Finding out that he actually does like her back is exhiliarating. Having someone to kiss at midnight – really kiss, not just a quick peck like you'd give to your uncle or something – was pretty damn awesome, too.

On the other hand, Abby is _pissed_. No, more than pissed. She is _livid_. How could Simon – who KNOWS the importance of being able to pick your own partner, he knows it, dammit – think that he could somehow coax her into dating Martin Addison? Martin's nice, sure, but he's not her type. Even if there'd been no Nick, or no ... well, anyway, even if there hadn't been anyone else, she never would have been interested in Martin. He's just too.... Abby's words fail her. Goofy? Out there? She's not real crazy about his hair, either, although she realizes that's being uncharitably shallow. But even though he's smart – and she likes smart – and he's funny – and she likes funny, too – it's just somehow the wrong combination. Martin's not the guy for her, and she's pretty sure aliens from space have picked up on her feelings. There's absolutely no excuse for Simon not to have. What's worse, she's pretty sure Simon knew her feelings just fine, but tried to get her and Martin together anyway. He lied to Nick about her experienced college boyfriend that never existed, he lied to her about Martin, and, seriously, WTF? She _trusted_ Simon. How could he jerk her and Nick around so much, and so horribly? She considers texting Simon that very minute and chewing him out, and who the fuck cares if it's one in the morning? But, honestly, it would probably be better if she let her emotions settle a little, make sure that she says things she really means to say.

Although she cannot imagine ever NOT meaning precisely what she wants to say right now: that she hates him.

\\_ _/

Ok, maybe _hate_ is a strong word. She is still plenty pissed off at him, especially as he apparently _also_ lied to Leah as cruelly and pointlessly as he did to Nick and herself. Blackmail sucks, she gets that, but the idea that Simon – who always seemed so confident, so together – would cave to Martin's shitty demands ... she just can't wrap her head around it.

On the other hand, now that she sees what Simon is going through, now that he's been Outed against his will, she does feel a little bad for him. Still angry, but also ... well, it's complicated. She didn't feel the slightest bit bad about giving him Resting Bitchface as he walked through the caf in search of a place to sit, but as soon as she saw those two douchebags making fun of Simon and Ethan, her first instinct was to protect Simon from their asshattery. She's actually pretty proud of Simon for calling them out, himself, before Ms. Albright took over. That took some guts. If only Simon had had those guts to stand up to Martin when he first tried to blackmail him. Still – as angry as she is, and as much as he messed up, nobody deserves the crap those two bastards pulled. 

Despite her anger, the next day Abby finds herself scanning the halls between every class, looking into the faces of every person she passes, every cast member at rehearsal, ready to tear anyone apart if they so much as make a tiny rude gesture in Simon's direction. 

Apparently, however, Ms. Albright's very public takedown of those assholes was enough to dissuade any other homophobes from taking action. Abby's not willing to forgive Simon yet, but she's still relieved to know that at least he's probably not being publicly harassed anymore.

\\_ _/

It isn't until _Cabaret_ 's opening day, when Leah hops into Nick's car and says, "Simon's mostly off my shit list," that Abby considers unbending.

"Didn't you say you planned to hate him until he died?" Nick asks as he slowly pulls into traffic.

"Yeah, well – he told me more about why he made such a stupid life choice," Leah says, clicking her seatbelt.

Abby cranes her neck around to look back at Leah, who's wearing a pretty floral dress with leggings and boots. "Which is...?" Abby prompts.

"Why else does anyone do stupid crap? It was because of a boy."

"I object," says Nick. "I have never done anything stupid for a boy."

"I'm sure you've done something stupid for Simon – as his _friend_ ," Abby adds, when it looks like Nick might object again.

"Oh, he has," says Leah, grinning.

"Can we get back to Simon and his stupid life choices?" Nick asks, a little desperately. Abby makes mental notes to grill Leah – and possibly Simon, if she decides to speak to him again after all – about the most embarrassing things Nick has done in the name of friendship. She's only been here for a few months, after all – think of the years of stories she still needs to catch up on!

"Well," Leah goes on, "turns out he fell in love with a boy he met because of _Creeksecrets_."

Abby can't believe her ears. "What? No way!"

Nick clearly feels the same. "Are you serious?"

"Yep," confirms Leah, clearly enjoying their surprise. "Apparently Simon responded to the post some kid named Blue made last fall about being gay, and they emailed back and forth for ages before Blue apparently freaked out and cut things off."

Abby frowns. "Do we know who Blue is?"

"Not as far as I know," Leah answers. "Simon doesn't know, either. But he basically fell in love with Blue over the internet. And when Martin threatened to blackmail him, Simon was more worried about it affecting Blue than he was about being Outed, himself."

Abby suddenly remembers the conversation that had preceded his coming Out to her in the car that night. 

_"Have you ever been in love?"_

_"I think so."_

She remembers the look on his face, of simultaneous uncertainty and longing. It would make sense, if he had been referring to his feelings for Blue. She thinks about her newly fledged feelings for Nick. About the way she's felt about other people. What would she do to protect them? 

"Did you say that Blue cut things off?" she asks.

Leah sighs. "Yeah. Apparently Simon was right to worry. As soon as Martin made that post, Blue deleted the email account he'd been using. Simon's devastated."

"So, you're saying we should have some pity on the guy?" Nick's been mostly silent during this exchange, putting most of his focus on the road, but they're pulling into the school parking lot by now, so he can give a little more attention to the conversation.

Abby turns to see Leah chewing on her bottom lip. "He and I mostly patched things up yesterday," she finally says, "but you guys should make your own decision."

Nick parks and they all pile out of the car, hauling their backpacks with them. "What do you think?" Abby asks Nick, as she twines her fingers through his. 

"I admit, I kind of miss my best friend," Nick says. "But," he adds, looking concerned, "I'd only forgive him if it was okay with you."

Abby thinks for a moment. Not gonna lie – she's still pissed. But the more time passes, the more that anger fades, especially now that she knows why Simon acted as he did. It doesn't excuse him, like, at _all_ , except it kind of does. He was protecting the boy he loved, not just trying to save his own damn hide. 

"Let's talk to him after tonight's performance," she says. 

"Guys?" Leah says, suddenly holding up her phone. "Have you seen today's Creeksecrets?" She smiles. "Simon wrote the world's most romantic message for Blue."

\\_ _/

So, here's Abby squished in the back seat between Nick and Leah, feeling as light and happy as she can remember being in a long time, watching Simon kiss Bram hello across the gearshift. After seeing his unbridled happiness the night of the carnival, and after talking to him later that weekend, she decided there was no way she could stay angry at him. Particularly since he promised not to pull that crap ever again. Like, ever. Now she's more pissed at Martin for having had the audicity to threaten Simon's joy, because, seriously, she's not sure she's ever seen any two people more in love than Simon and Bram. The fact that Martin nearly ruined what those two have angers her more than what the guy did to _her_ and, by extension, to Nick. Definitely one thing she and Simon have in common – wanting to protect the person they love, more than they care about themselves. She would go to the wire for anyone in this car, seriously. Wonder Woman: kicking ass and taking names.

But today she doesn't have to worry about that. The sky is blue, the weather is amazing, and the five of them are off to wherever the hell Simon is taking them. She doesn't really care where it is. She's just so thankful to him for bringing her into his group of friends, for making her part of this mad posse, despite the mess earlier in the year. Without him, she might not have met Nick, or Leah, or any of them. She might not have gone to that Halloween party, or had group sleepovers with the most hilarious, awesome people in Georgia, or drunk so much iced coffee she's practically had more caffeine than blood in her veins. Having her life uprooted last summer sucked big time, but Simon ... well, let's just say, she thinks she's found her goddamned superhero after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Simon says: please feed the author! I love to hear from my readers - (polite) conceit is fine, too. :-)


End file.
